1. Technical Field
The invention relates to curved surfaces, such as spheres. More particularly, the invention relates to displaying removable, patternable coverings on such curved surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of globes as educational tools is well known. A globe is an invaluable visual aid for demonstration of three-dimensional concepts, such as in topography, astronomy, and spherical geometry. The Lenart Sphere (see I. Lenart, Alternate Models On The Drawing Ball, paper presented at the 7th International Congress On Mathematics Education, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1992), for example, is a globe specifically designed to demonstrate concepts in non-Euclidean, or spherical, geometry.
While the spherical shape of a globe offers the advantage of three-dimensional representation, it is difficult to mark the surface of a globe accurately. For example, the features on a geographically configured globe must be precisely located. The curved surface, however, is not easily printed upon, either by machine or by hand.
Further, a globe having a particular configuration, such as a meteorological map, is limited to that representation. It is thus not possible to represent changing contours, such as weather systems or national borders.
Rogers, Globe and Measuring Device, U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,980 (Dec. 21, 1976) discloses a geographically configured globe having a curved, three dimensional pivotal overlay. The overlay is pre-patterned with measuring indicia. While simplifying certain measurements, the indicia imprinted on the overlay cannot be modified.
Additionally, it is often desirable to permit students to prepare individual projects using a globe. While the Rogers overlay is removable, it is not designed to provide individual overlays for each user of a globe to prepare an individual project. A three-dimensionally shaped overlay also requires substantial storage space, and is subject to damage or deformation during storage or shipping.
It would therefore be a significant advance in the art to provide a cost-effective, removable globe covering capable of being easily and accurately patterned. It would be particularly useful to provide such a covering requiring minimal storage space and not subject to risk of damage.